Slumbering Thorns
by BirdSpirit
Summary: [Elise x Zyra] Snowdown draws closer, but all Zyra can do is sleep. Will Elise find a way to keep her awake?


**I actually started writing this before Christmas but I never finished it in time due to a vacation. XD**

**Apologies for the lateness. I can never keep to my schedule. ._.**

**Contains some overlap with my other oneshot Wanted: Snowdown Spirit.**

**Happy Late New Year everyone!**

* * *

**Slumbering Thorns**

The snowflake mesmerizingly drifted back and forth, barely visible against the gloom of the sky. As Zyra traced it with her finger through the glass pane, it fluttered down and joined its brothers among the white expanse that covered the grounds of the Institute. Her breath fogged against the window as she leaned closer, obscuring her own vision. She felt a presence behind her. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

A pair of dark glove-clad arms circled her waist, causing her leaves to rustle slightly. A hand caressed her bare stomach. A pair of soft breasts pressed into her backside, and she felt the tickle of a breath against her face. "Do you wish to go outside?"

The Rise of the Thorns shook her head and turned to face Elise. "Cold," was all she said.

She snaked her arms around to embrace her lover, rubbing the spot where spider legs protruded from her back and eliciting a soft purr. The Spider Queen's lips quirk into a small smile as Zyra nosed her face. Elise kissed her forehead and tightened her arms, running her upper spider legs through the plant mage's hair. Zyra closed her eyes at the familiar sensation and tilted her head up to catch the other woman's lips. After a moment, she opened her mouth to moan, but it was cut off as Elise slipped her tongue through. The spider mage aggressively pressed Zyra to the window, and arching tightly, her lover gasped, the cold of the glass a sharp contrast to the warmth in front of her. "E-Elise, we're in the hallway!" the Rise of the Thorns stuttered.

The Spider Queen chuckled and began to pull her girlfriend towards their room. They were halfway there when Zyra felt a sudden heaviness come across her eyelids. She stopped kissing Elise and stared at her blankly, trying to keep her eyes open. "Zyra?"

Sleep. She needed to sleep. The plant mage slumped forward, trusting her lover to catch her. She fell into the land of dreams before she hit the ground.

* * *

Elise was extremely tempted to slap Zyra awake for leaving her in this state, but she knew it wouldn't work. The spell that prevented her from falling back asleep had worn off quicker than expected. She stared at the dead weight in her arms before heaving the woman up bridal-style and finishing the trip to their room. There was clear evidence that the plant woman had moved in, given the various vines and whatnot that hung about and snaked over the ground. As opposed to a vibrant green however, they were currently a pale shade of their former glory. Elise was careful to not trip over one as she crossed the room. It was also much warmer than normal, but the mage figured it was worth it if Zyra could live with her. For the winter season anyway.

She tucked Zyra into the bed and sat at the edge, peering at her. The Rise of the Thorns turned in her sleep to wrap her arms around the Spider Queen's waist, nuzzling into her side. Elise couldn't resist stroking her hair fondly. When the leaves of the forest had begun to turn a bright orange, Zyra had mentioned that she tended to "hibernate" for the duration of the winter season. She had assured Elise there would be no adverse effects if she did not rest; it was merely a way of conserving energy until the spring. However, neither of them had expected the plant mage to be so sleepy to the point of falling unconscious while eating. The Spider Queen failed to prevent the smile that twitched at her lips from the thought of that scene.

So, she had opted to use spells to keep Zyra awake, but each lasted shorter than the last, as if the plant mage was becoming immune to them. The most recent one had lasted only a few hours. It was time to find a new solution. Elise carefully freed herself from the Rise of the Thorn's grasp and stood up. As she did so, Zyra moaned her name again. The way she sounded caused a string of memories from previous passionate nights to pop up in the Spider Queen's head. She was quite literally about to jump back onto the bed and ravish Zyra, asleep or not, to her heart's content. Elise stemmed the dirty thoughts from her mind and headed to the bathroom to take a cold shower. Zyra's vines did not permeate into this room (or the area around her desk), courtesy of the Spider Queen's constant complaint that they made a mess of her well-organized things.

After drying her hair, Elise moved over to the bed once more and left a kiss on the slumbering plant mage's cheek. Straightening, she snapped her fingers, summoning one of her many spiderlings and commanding it to watch over the other woman. It chittered lightly and buried itself in the Rise of the Thorn's hair. Shiny eyes peered back at its mother, as if asking for approval. Elise just chuckled lightly before striding out into the corridor.

She headed for the library, knowing it to be the most likely place that held the answer she sought. The League was in possession of a vast number of books, ranging from old antique tomes to petty romances. The latter she often found young summoners perusing through. In fact, they were so intent on those distasteful novels that they generally failed to notice a small spiderling descending upon them until it was too late. Screams would then echo through the large space that was the library, alerting a certain dog who spent almost all his time here.

The Spider Queen weaved among the bookshelves, inhaling the scent of papyrus and ink. She reached the area containing multitudes of spell books. Carefully reading each of the titles, the mage grabbed the ones that interested her, opting to use her spider legs instead of the ladder to get ones out of her immediate reach. She quickly learned a lesson on the disadvantages of lacking opposable thumbs on her extra appendages when she almost dropped one directly on her head. _The Sleeping Curse_. Nope. _Spells for the Trouble Minded_. Maybe. _The Tale of Sleeping Beauty_. What was that doing here?

Finally, she had a tower of books that obscured most of her view. Elise staggered over to a nearby table, dropping her load loudly on the wood. Then she sat down and began to read. The majority of these tomes taught spells similar to the ones she had already attempted on Zyra, meaning they were little to no help. Others seemed to have ill side effects she did not want the plant mage experiencing. A few hours later, she ended with piles of books surrounding her in every direction, no closer to finding a solution than when she had started. Huffing in annoyance, the Spider Queen lay her head down on her arms, deciding to take a break. She had just closed her eyes when she heard a voice nearby calling out. "Diana? Diana, are you in here?"

Elise looked up just in time to glare at Leona, who had displaced one of the towers of books aside in hopes of finding the moon warrior. The avatar of the sun stared at the Spider Queen in surprise before smiling sheepishly. "Oh, my apologies! I thought Diana was in here!"

The spider mage found Leona's laugh incredibly annoying and pompous as the Radiant Dawn quickly replaced the stack of tomes and continued her search. "There you are!"

Leona proceeded to scold the Diana, who was hiding behind some bookshelves. Elise heard the Scorn of the Moon grumble in response. There was some bickering, followed by a rather suspicious silence. The Spider Queen didn't need to look to know that the two were tight in a lip lock. She imagined Nasus finding them and calling them out. She snickered to herself. Perhaps another spiderling prank was in order. Elise was about to snap her fingers, but then hesitated, waiting to see if the two avatars would go further. She idly wondered if she and Zyra could get away with doing it in the library at some point. There would like be vines and spider webs everywhere afterward, but it was likely they could clean it up before anyone found out. The Spider Queen blinked. In her daydreaming, Leona and Diana had managed to shuffle from the library to the hallway and out of range. The mage sighed in dismay at her tardiness and stood up to leave as well.

The day wore on, and Elise eventually found herself lying in bed, still wrestling with solutions for Zyra's unfortunate situation. The plant woman herself was, of course, still slumbering. She was currently resting her head on her lover's bosom, unaware of the other's frustrations. The Spider Queen sighed and threaded her fingers through her lover's hair, brushing out the long silky locks. She put her face close and inhaled the sweet scent, closing her eyes in pleasure. The Rise of the Thorns suddenly shifted, and Elise heard her mumble something that sounded close to her name. The spider mage withdrew slightly to regard the woman on top of her. "Hey there, sleepyhead," she murmured affectionately.

"Mmm," Zyra blinked sleepily, her orange eyes glowing in the near darkness, "What time is it?"

"Late," the Spider Queen responded, "Are you hungry?"

She had saved some fruit in case either of them wanted food while the dining hall was closed. However, it had mostly been for Zyra's benefit. The plant woman shook her head and went back to nuzzling her girlfriend's chest. "I'm sorry…just so sleepy…"

Elise's expression softened, and she massaged the other woman's scalp. Zyra murmured happily but quickly drifted off again. Soon, only the sound of her quiet breathing interrupted the silence. The Spider Queen turned to watch the snow falling lazily outside. The moon glowed brightly in contrast to the darkness of the sky, reflecting off the white flakes as they floated down. It would be a sunny day tomorrow, which was perfect for the Snowdown season festivities. Zyra would enjoy it. If she wasn't sleeping that is.

Elise shut her eyes. Eventually, she too, fell asleep.

* * *

She approached him from behind. "Summoner," she purred in his ear.

Elise smirked as the young man jumped and turned to frantically look at her. "Sp-Spider Queen! What brings you here?"

His eyes were wide, and he was already breathing heavily from the mere sight of the mage. Alright well, she _had_ scared him. A bit. Elise kept the smile on her face, watching as he squirmed and looked anywhere but her crimson eyes. She moved closer, trailing one of her slim hands across his shoulder. "I require your assistance," she purred, "What is your name summoner?"

He continued to look positively terrified. After waking, Elise had returned to the library to continue her search. At some point, she had noticed a barrier that kept her from reaching the tomes of the topmost shelves in a certain corner. Tapping at the invisible walls, she had decided it wasn't worth the headache to break it herself. So, she had gone to prey on the unfortunate person at the front desk. "Ei-Eideard," the boy stuttered out.

The Spider Queen circled around the poor summoner, who remained frozen in the chair he was seated in. "My young Eideard," she leaned towards his ear once more, "do you know of the tomes protected by a barrier in the section of spellbooks?"

Eideard gulped and nodded. "Would you be so kind as to fetch them for me?" Elise asked.

"I-uh-Miss Elise, permission to access them is strictly forbidden unless explicitly granted by-"

He was cut off as the spider mage suddenly spun his chair around. The Spider Queen sat herself down in his lap and grabbed his chin roughly. She was no longer smiling, "I asked, _would you be so kind as to fetch them for me_?"

The summoner just sat there, gaping like a fish. Elise noted he was sweating and – she fought the urge to roll her eyes – felt something hard between his legs as she shifted. Eideard had still not said anything, so she opted for a different approach. "If you do me that little favor," she pressed against him, and he tensed, "I'll reward you well."

She looked at him through hooded eyes. The boy blinked, but he nodded. The Spider Queen grinned and stood up, following Eideard as he scurried off towards the spellbooks and then up a ladder. The barrier parted easily to let his arm through, and soon the pile of tomes was sitting on the ground next to Elise. The mage knelt down and slowly began to pick through them. She noticed the boy had not yet left and tilted her head up to glare at him. "What?" she barked.

Eideard shifted uncomfortably, stuttering something unintelligible. Elise smirked seductively as she realized what he wanted. She stood up slowly and sauntered over to him. He was as stiff as a board as she grabbed his chin once more. The mage moved her head downward, as if to kiss him, but suddenly yanked him up into the air by the collar. Before Eideard could scream, his mouth was sealed shut by sticky webbing. Elise threw him against the wall and summoned her spiderlings to finish the job. It was unfortunate that she could not eat him, she idly thought as her pets quickly wrapped the unfortunate summoner in a thick cocoon. The Spider Queen grabbed the books she needed and stalked off to the nearest table, ignoring the boy's muffled cries.

The tomes mostly taught forms of dark magic that she was familiar with. As she opened one, it thrummed with an energy that left her fingertips tingling. These spells would be useful for more than simply keeping a person awake. They had such unlimited potential and were surprisingly easy to access. Licking her lips, Elise began to read. She came across a spell that involved siphoning the energy of those in the vicinity to strengthen one's own powers. She could likely modify it for Zyra's use. The mage wondered if she could get away with taking this book out of the-

"Spider Queen."

She straightened, feeling the presence behind her. "Well good day to you as well, _mutt_."

Nasus did not visibly react. "Those works hold dark magic. Why are they in your possession?"

Elise turned to glare at the Curator of Sands. "Well then, I would naturally thrive on them. And I don't believe this is any of your business."

The creature tapped his staff on the floor and circled the table so that the two could regard each other comfortably. "Using those without permission is punishable by a sentence of the Council. Surely you are aware of this."

The spider mage grinned back. "What they don't know won't hurt them now, will it?"

Nasus blinked. "I'm afraid I would be unwilling to be your accomplice in hiding the usage of such powerful books. However, if you return them immediately, I may overlook your _slight_ blunder."

Elise scowled as he held out his hand. The two stared at each other, one with a hidden anger behind her eyes and the other with an air of calm. Nasus continued to wait patiently. The Spider Queen finally slammed the tome she was reading shut and threw it onto the stack of forbidden books, shoving the whole thing towards the Curator. "Thank you, Spider Queen."

He gathered them in his massive arms and made to leave, but paused and turned back to look at Elise. "What?" she snapped.

Nasus ignored the anger and annoyance in her tone. "May I ask why you felt the need to peruse through these? The time for Snowdown festivities is in progress. Surely, whatever malevolence you harbor for an enemy can wait until afterward?"

"Who the hell said I was planning to harm someone?"

The dog let loose a deep chuckle. "Well then the spirits must look kindly upon you today if they sent me to take these off your hands. I don't believe they would be beneficial for a loved one."

He was gone before Elise had a chance to retort. Gritting her teeth, she spun around to leave the library. She rounded a shelf only run smack into something hard. "Watch it!"

The Spider Queen found herself glaring daggers at Leona as both parties rubbed their heads. The Radiant Dawn look surprised, but then she smiled. "Oh Elise! I apologize, I couldn't help but overhear your two talking."

She put her hands up when the spider mage looked ready to murder her. "I didn't mean to! I was just passing by looking for Diana again!"

Elise was not placated at all, but she figured attempting to tear through Leona's armor (Why was she even wearing that?) wasn't worth the time. She sidestepped to continue her exit, but the sun avatar barred her way, effectively stopping her. "Just one moment. I don't see you in the library too often, and you've been here the last two days. Do you need assistance with something? Perhaps I can help."

The Spider Queen reconsidered mauling the Rakkorian knight. "No. Everything. Is. Fine," she said slowly, hoping the message was clear.

Leona however, continued to press, and Elise froze as her next words hit their mark. "Is it Zyra? I haven't seen her around at all lately. Is she alright?"

The Spider Queen did not say anything, but her hesitance was enough to tell the Radiant Dawn she was correct. She waited anxiously for a response. Elise sighed and closed her eyes, her anger fading and dissolving into worry from the prospect that Zyra would _not_ be alright if she stayed in her current state for too long, regardless of what the plant woman herself had said. The spider mage noticed Leona was still looking at her. "There's nothing you can do," she said with distaste.

The Chosen of the Sun tilted her chin up stubbornly. "Try me."

Elise's eye twitched, and she growled, but the Rakkorian stood her ground. The Spider Queen found herself caught in another staring competition and was once more the loser of the match. "Zyra won't stop sleeping," she murmured reluctantly.

Leona blinked and adopted a thinking pose. "Well, she still is part plant. I suppose that would be a normal thing for-Oh!"

The spider mage jumped slightly. "I see," the Radiant Dawn continued, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips, "You're lonely because she's not around, right?"

Elise said nothing. "You know that's pretty adorable," Leona said, allowing the smile to bloom on her face.

The Spider Queen huffed, trying to prevent her pale face from flushing. Crossing her arms, she spun around to hide it. "If you aren't going to help then I'm leaving," she announced.

She opted for a different path than the one Leona was blocking, but the sun avatar dragged her back. Elise hissed at being manhandled in such a way. This woman was really trying her patience. Not that she had any left. Said woman paid her foul mood no attention. "Get back here. I have an idea. Watch."

The Radiant Dawn cupped her hands together and then extended her arms, palms upward. Elise couldn't help but watch curiously as a small, bright yellow ball popped into existence and grew until Leona could hold it comfortably in her hand. She pinched her thumb and forefinger together, pulling at the ball so that it dangled from a string made of the same material. The avatar murmured something else, and if Elise though the ball was bright before, it was positively blinding now. She shielded her eyes quickly. "Ah, my apologies. That's a bit too much."

The ornament dimmed slightly so that the two were able to look at it without searing their retinas beyond repair. Leona handed it to Elise, who regarded it with suspicion. "What is it?"

"Just a little bit of sunlight. When I was young I helped tend to the gardens on Mount Targon. During the winter, the Solari used this particular spell for the plants inside the greenhouses. Perhaps this will help Zyra? Just hang it over her and see what happens. It might take a bit though."

The Rakkorian knight nodded to herself in satisfaction and stood back as the spider mage held the ball up to her face. Elise glanced at Leona, who was waiting for a response. She blinked. "Thanks," she finally said awkwardly.

The Radiant Dawn had a smile plastered on her face again. "Of course! Please tell Zyra hello for me when she wakes."

She said that with too much confidence for someone who claimed to be unsure of her solution. Elise hurried past Leona without another word, eager to see if the ball would work.

Zyra was still sleeping when she stepped into the room, and the Spider Queen expected no less. Her spiderling chittered in greeting and abandoned its nest of red hair in favor of its mother. Elise allowed it to crawl up her body and perch on her shoulder. Using some sticky webbing, she attached Leona's gift to the ceiling, watching as it cast a soft yellow glow around the room. She shifted her attention back to Zyra, waiting for a reaction.

Nothing.

Elise frowned. Well, Leona did say it would take a while. She turned to her desk and was about to plop down in the chair when her stomach growled rather loudly. The spiderling chirped next to her ear. That's right. She had yet to eat anything today. Depositing her pet on the bed once more, the mage dropped a kiss on Zyra's temple. On her way out, she grabbed a book she could peruse. It would keep her distracted while she waited for the glowing ball to work.

The majority of the inhabitants of the Institute were likely outside participating in the Snowdown events. The dining hall was quiet as Elise sauntered in. She grabbed some food and noticed a long table that held complementary drinks in the spirit of Snowdown. White wine of an acceptable brand was one of the choices. Smirking, Elise, poured the rest of the bottle into a glass and made her way over to her usual, empty table. She ate while she tried to read, occasionally taking a sip of her drink. Not checking on Zyra every two minutes was proving rather difficult. After finishing, the Spider Queen pushed her plate away. She looked back at her book, attempting to focus on the paragraph she was supposedly on.

There was a shuffling across from her as someone sat down, and a strong rosy scent mixed with a tinge of vanilla wafted over. She refrained from wrinkling her nose at the overpowering smell. Without needing to glance up, Elise automatically knew it was LeBlanc. Therefore, she pointedly ignored her. She waited expectantly for the Deceiver to launch into her latest scheme or perhaps pester her into doing _another_ favor. However, to her surprise, the illusionist kept silent. When Elise took a peek at her, she found the other mage staring out the window drinking her own cup of something. It was an abnormal thing that very rarely happened. A silent LeBlanc that is. The Spider Queen found herself shifting uncomfortably. Finally, she could stand it no more. "Someone is certainly chatty today," she quipped.

LeBlanc must have been very distracted because it took her several seconds to reply. She acted surprised to see Elise sitting across from her. "I was merely thinking," she said and then smiled, "Is your majesty feeling lonely?"

The illusionist lowered her head, looking at the spider mage through hooded eyes. Elise thought of Zyra again as she scowled. She did not respond and instead bent her head back down to read. LeBlanc was quiet once more, and the Spider Queen chose not to poke at her again. The peace did not last long. "Elise, what is it that you do when you're too busy to spend time with Zyra?"

She raised an eyebrow at the Matron, wondering what she was getting at. "Obviously I do whatever I have to do and then go back to her. That's an idiotic question, Evaine."

In all honesty she never had that much "work" to do. She occasionally had to leave in secret to check on her cult based in Noxus, but she was never gone for long. In other cases, she could keep Zyra company while preparing spells and whatnot. LeBlanc for once, did not bother correcting her name, nor did she respond to the insult. "And if you take too long, and she becomes angry at you?"

Elise blinked. Was she being asked for relationship advice? Who was this person and what had they done to the Matron of the Black Rose? Zyra had been angry at her in other instances, but never for the Deceiver's stated reason. The Spider Queen took a sip of her wine. "Then I apologize….did you do something to Ahri?"

She looked suspiciously at the Deceiver. Why the black and gold mage had even bothered with the nine-tailed fox was completely beyond her. It was a relationship bound to wither and die, as neither champions were prone to monogamy. In fact, it was a miracle that it had lasted as long as it had. LeBlanc glared defiantly at her. "Of course not!"

Elise just gave her a "really?" look, and the illusionist backtracked. "Alright. She's not very happy with me because I've been too busy lately."

"Then go do something with her."

"But I have _work_ to do."

Goodness it was like speaking to a child. Sometimes she forgot that the person behind LeBlanc was not centuries old. True, they kept each other's memories, but some things just needed to be experienced for the self. Besides, Elise doubted the previous LeBlancs had anything to offer in terms of relationship advice. She chuckled. "Did some of the fox's stupidity rub off on you or something?"

To her surprise, the Matron laughed in return and crossed her arms. "Stupid? You're one to talk! You're with a plant!"

Elise felt a growl rising in her throat. "She's not just a plant," she stated bluntly.

"And Ahri's not just a fox!"

LeBlanc gazed arrogantly at her, victory twinkling behind her amber eyes. The Spider Queen found herself losing the third staring competition of the day. She simply did not have the patience for it. Covering her defeat up, she opted for rolling her eyes instead. "If you want to continue to ruin your relationship, then be my guest."

She proceeded to continue reading. "Aww. So you _do_ care."

The Deceiver grinned at her, leaning forward. Elise just huffed in response. There was another period of quiet. "I should probably speak with her…and apologize too," she heard LeBlanc murmur to herself as the golden mage picked up her cup.

It was a rhetoric statement, but Elise couldn't help but retort. "You think?"

The Matron's smile was devilish at first, but then it turned into something that resembled what the new and insane Piltover champion always wore on her face. The spider mage almost facepalmed. Trust LeBlanc to be serious for only a minute. She took the words back in her head. Forget it. Don't trust LeBlanc at all. Elise inserted an unamused tone in her voice. "Stop with that look on your face. It's creepy."

The Deceiver just let out a carefree laugh, a hand over her mouth. She went back to her drink. Elise let out an inaudible sigh, idly flipping a page in her book. She grabbed her own glass and put it to her mouth. She tilted her head up, but before she had the chance to swallow, there was a movement in the corner of her eye. LeBlanc quickly reached across the table and shoved the bottom of the glass upward. The Spider Queen's eyes widened as what was left of the alcohol spilled all over her face, causing her to choke and cough loudly. The Deceiver's cackling echoed in the hallway as she made her escape. Still spluttering, Elise, grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped her face. The wine had gotten onto her outfit as well, unfortunately. She would have to take a shower.

The Spider Queen hissed in annoyance and turned her glare to the entrance of the dining hall, ignoring all the looks she was being given. Nope. Don't trust LeBlanc at all. The mage reached her mind out, searching for a certain one that flitted in and out of existence. The Deceiver hid herself well, but she was unable to become completely invisible. Elise snapped her fingers, and a spiderling poofed into existence in the hallway. It skittered after LeBlanc, who was headed out of the Institute. She was hurrying along, but the spiderling was faster. It crawled up the wall and then onto the ceiling, positioning itself so that it was overhead.

The Spider Queen commanded it to leap forward and it did, landing on the illusionist's head. LeBlanc yelped and took a swipe at it. The spiderling crawled under her cloak and Elise grinned as she felt her shiver. Her fun was quickly ruined as the Deceiver shook the spiderling off her foot. The spider mage only had time to see a bright yellow blast before her connection to her pet was broken. However, she did manage to catch the panicked look on the Matron's face. She chuckled to herself. Revenge had been properly dished out.

A chittering suddenly echoed in her mind. Elise cocked her head and established a more secure mental connection with the spiderling in her room. She found herself staring at Zyra, who had her orange eyes fully open and was in the process of gathering the pet in her arms. The Spider Queen stared in surprise. Leona's spell had actually worked? _Just a little bit of sunlight._ The avatar's words echoed in her mind. The Rise of the Thorns stroked the spiderling gently and laughed. "Where is your mother, little one?" the Rise of the Thorns questioned.

Coming. Elise stood up and, grabbing her book, hurried out of the dining hall. The spiderling was nestled in Zyra's hair once more as she walked in. She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "You know, I'm debating not using them anymore since they seem to grab your attention more than I do," the spider mage teased.

The plant woman turned in the bed to smile at her. The glow of the mini-sun reflected beautifully in her eyes, causing them to sparkle. Elise couldn't help but stare, mesmerized. She suddenly found herself enveloped in a hug. She returned it more than willingly. "I feel completely awake. Not tired at all. Does it have something to do with that glowing thing?" Zyra asked from her shoulder.

The Spider Queen nodded. "Let's hope it lasts more than a few hours."

The Rise of the Thorns laughed. She sniffed. "What's that smell?"

Elise tilted her head to the side as her lover buried her nose in her neck. She remembered LeBlanc's little prank and was about to push Zyra off her to clean up when she felt something warm and wet slide across her skin. The other woman was lapping at the dried wine. "Oh, it tastes good," she murmured between licks.

The spider champion shuddered at the feeling. "I got wine…spilled all over…me…"

The last word came out as a breath. She had been planning to shower, but this was definitely the more preferable option. Oh, if only the Deceiver knew what she had done. Elise tensed for a moment as Zyra sucked hard on her neck. As she moved on, there was a love mark where her lips had been. The Rise of the Thorns went lower and then smiled mischievously up at the Spider Queen, who was watching her intently. She dipped her tongue between Elise's breasts, relishing the flavors she found there. There was a loud moan in response. However, she quickly moved back upwards to nip at a collarbone, earning a growl from her lover at the tease. The spider mage threaded her free hand through silky red tresses as Zyra moved to the other side of her neck, still licking eagerly. Elise smirked to herself and leaned forward slightly to envelop one of the leaf-like extensions by Zyra's head in her mouth. She sucked it sensually, causing the plant woman to stop and whimper. The Spider Queen released her. "Bed. Now," she hissed.

She could feel vines curling slowly around her hips and sharp claws dragging along her lower back. Zyra didn't need to be told twice and urgently tugged her lover to the other side of the room. The tome the Spider Queen had been holding fell to the floor, forgotten.

* * *

Elise was reclined on the pillows, humming contentedly. Zyra sat in her lap, peeling an orange from their secret stash of fruit. Occasionally, she would reach around to feed the spider mage a slice. Elise massaged her back in return, resisting the temptation to move her hands lower. The Rise of the Thorns finished the last piece and lay down on her lover's bare chest. She traced invisible patterns on her stomach, admiring the tattoo that ran across the toned flesh. She glanced up at the ball that still shined brightly above them. "So that's Leona's work?"

The Spider Queen nodded. "She sends her greetings."

Zyra rolled over and stretched. "Mmm. I rather like Leona. She's always been kind to me and she's so _warm_."

Elise felt a twinge of jealousy in her heart at the statement. She glanced over only to find a glint in the other woman's eyes, indicating she was being teased. The spider mage huffed and looked away. Zyra let out a short laugh and cuddled into her side. They lay in a companionable silence. "Elise," the Rise of the Thorns said suddenly.

She received a grunt in response. "I want to go outside," she continued.

Elise opened an eye to peek at her girlfriend. "You sure?" she questioned, "It's getting rather late."

Zyra nodded and sat up. "Yes. Is it not Snowdown Eve? We should do something to celebrate. And I…want to show you something."

The Spider Queen raised an eyebrow. "You'll see," the plant woman said mysteriously.

Elise managed to wrestle Zyra into taking a shower before they scoured the wardrobe for winter clothes. The Rise of the Thorns absolutely hated the indoor showers, claiming they were stuffy and that the water felt wrong. It made the spider mage chuckle every time. At the current moment, the plant woman was deep in her closet, trying to find a winter jacket that did not feel too constricting. Finally, Elise sighed. "Just keep your vines inside the coat. They'll freeze off anyway if you take them out."

Zyra frowned at her, but settled for one of a deep purple color. She put it on, carefully tucking the vines and petals on her shoulders in. The spider mage glanced at her bottom half, regarding the multitude of thorns, and groaned. She was about to wave her hand and simply construct some clothing from magic when the Rise of the Thorns waved her off. "Wait. Let me try something."

She stared at her legs and Elise watched as the carapace that covered them thickened to form a new layer. It grew over Zyra's feet as well as her upper thighs, thinning out as it reached her hips to disappear underneath the coat. She flexed her legs experimentally. The end result looked like a very long pair of boots with thorns. The spider mage nodded her approval and summoned some clothing for herself. After a bit more fussing around, they managed to find some scarves, gloves and whatever accessories they needed. As Zyra adjusted her clothing in the mirror, Elise slowly backed to the corner of the room where her desk was. She quietly opened one of the drawers and took out a small black box, slipping it nonchalantly into her pocket. She held the door open for her girlfriend, and the two headed outside.

The Snowdown Eve party was still in progress on the grounds. The entrance to the league was extremely crowded by champions and summoners alike, and over half of them were drunk. Elise shoved at a middle-aged man who got too close and growled at him. He was too busy trying to walk straight to care. Zyra, who held her hand hostage, dragged her off to the side, towards the forest. The Spider Queen shot her a questioning look, but the plant woman didn't appear to notice. It became steadily darker as the distance between the couple and the festivities increased. As she crunched through the snow, Elise found herself wondering how far they would have to go. This was further than Zyra's territory as well as the river they normally spent their time at. They hiked up a hill. The spider mage was about to ask her lover how much further when the Rise of the Thorns spoke. "We're here!"

Ahead of them was a large clearing. The ground sloped downward from where the two were standing, and Elise found herself staring at what appeared to be a small lake below them. It was frozen over, of course. The ice glittered underneath the moonlight that shone from the clear night sky. Snow surrounding the area glittered as she looked left and right. An occasional tree here or there interrupted the white expanse. It was completely silent. Elise dared to break it. "It's beautiful," she said simply.

Zyra tugged once more on her arm and headed towards it. They stopped at the frozen shores. The Rise of the Thorns looked uncertain now. Her girlfriend waited patiently for her to speak. "Mmm, there is something…people do called ice skating?"

She gestured towards the lake. The Spider Queen cocked her head, but nodded. "Do you know how?" Zyra asked hesitantly.

Her girlfriend glanced back towards the ice. "I do, but we don't have any skates."

The plant woman's face lit up, and she waved her hand. Blades jutted out from the sole of both her feet. "They look like this, right?"

Zyra pointed towards Elise's boots as well, and the Spider Queen felt some vines grow and wrap around her feet. Something began to jut from the bottom of her shoes. She widened her stance to keep her balance and braced herself by a nearby trunk, observing the makeshift skates curiously. The blades were made from some hard organic material, but they seemed to work well enough. She nodded at Zyra, who requested, "Teach me please?"

The Rise of the Thorns looked down shyly. Her action brought a smile to Elise's face. The spider mage stepped regally onto the ice and proceeded to almost slip. She flailed but managed to steady herself with Zyra's help. "I actually haven't done this in a while," she admitted sheepishly.

Her girlfriend chuckled. The Spider Queen cautiously edged forward, beginning to get into the familiar rhythm of skating. She turned around and reach toward Zyra, who took her hand and eyed the frozen water hesitantly. "I got you," Elise encouraged.

The plant mage managed to get both feet on the ice. She tried to take a cautious step closer to Elise, but almost immediately lost her footing. Zyra yelped as she lurched forward. Her legs took on a running motion, which served little to no help. The momentum brought her into the Spider Queen's arms, almost shoving her down as well. The Rise of the Thorns gripped Elise's shoulders tightly as she steadied herself. She peeked up when she felt them shaking. Her lover was laughing, and soon, she was too. They stared at each other once the giggling fit died down. Elise bent to give Zyra's nose a kiss. "Here," she shifted so that she was beside Zyra, and they were both facing the center of the lake, holding hands, "Push your feet off to the side like this."

Her lover tried to copy her movements, and she did so, albeit rather awkwardly. Once she had started moving, Elise resumed her position in front, skating backwards so she could help Zyra keep her footing. "Bend your knees a bit. It'll help you balance. And don't be so tense."

The red markings on the plant mage's brow were furrowed in concentration as she worked hard to keep from falling again. The air fogged for a moment as she exhaled. She wasn't relaxing her body so the Spider Queen tried to distract her. "I spent some time in Freljord many years ago, before the League of Legends came into fruition. I happened upon a small village at the shores of the Conqueror's Sea. Everything was covered in a sheet of ice, so getting around by walking was rather difficult. Thus, I had to learn to skate. I accumulated quite the number of bruises before I could properly do so."

She offered a small smile at her lover as Zyra looked up. "Why were you in Freljord?" the plant mage inquired.

Elise's eyes darkened, and she looked blankly over the Rise of the Thorns' shoulder. "Perhaps I'll tell you some other time," she said quietly.

Zyra knew not to probe further. She carefully released the spider mage's hands, daring to balance by herself. Elise skated off to the side to give her more room, keeping an eye on her in case she fell again. The Spider Queen instead found herself staring at the ice, lost in thought. She remembered a time before she had known of such a thing called the Shadow Isles and when she was just a lost young woman doing her best to live. She had a sort of respect for the Freljordians. They dared and succeeded in surviving the harsh weather and the lands that yielded little food. She most surely would have frozen to death if not for-

There was a squeak and then a loud thump. Elise looked up, alarmed. "Zyra! Are you alright?" she called to the plant mage, who was lying on her side a ways away in the center of the frozen lake.

The Rise of the Thorns waved at her sheepishly in response. The Spider Queen was about to rush over when she was alerted by a crackling sound. She stopped, frozen in place as she noticed thin, branching lines beginning to form where Zyra had fallen. Her heart rate took off at a running pace. Elise swallowed, trying to keep the rising panic down. "Zyra, get up very slowly."

Her lover had not yet noticed the cracks and glanced up in confusion, noting the tone in the Spider Queen's voice. However, she tried to heed the command. "Um…It's a bit slippery. I'm not sure if I can-Ah!"

Elise's heart leapt to her throat as Zyra lost her balance once more. The plant mage heard the crackling this time and she stared underneath her, eyes widening. The Spider Queen quickly skated to solid ground, where she would find better footing. She shot a strand of webbing forward and it glued itself to Zyra's chest. She began to pull and managed to slide the Rise of the Thorns towards her a couple feet. The fissures in the ice quickly followed. Elise kept the spider strand taut. "Zyra, get up!" she yelled again, the high note of panic creeping into her voice.

The Rise of the Thorns was quick to respond this time, using Elise's lifeline to keep her standing. The spider mage began to reel the webbing in as fast as she could. Zyra looked behind her, seeing that the ice extremely close to her feet had already completely broken through. The dark waters taunted her. The crackling continued. The plant woman released the strand she had a death grip on and instead shot her arms forward. Her vines burst through the sleeves of her jacket with a loud ripping sound and hurtled towards Elise. They wrapped around the Spider Queen's waist, and Zyra hurled forward, away from the freezing water. Dropping the webbing, Elise braced herself for impact and grunted as the body of her lover rammed into her, throwing both of them into a pile of snow. They lay there, panting. "Are you alright?" the spider mage asked between breaths.

Zyra nodded wordlessly, swallowing. Her lover looked pained. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to you."

"It wasn't your fault."

She nosed the spider champion's face in an effort to placate her. The couple glanced back at the lake. There was a stretch of water and floating ice where the plant mage had been. Elise brushed a strand of hair from the other woman's face and then pulled her close, hugging her tightly. "I think I'm done for now," the Rise of the Thorns said meekly from her chest, "And I ruined your coat. I'm sorry."

She flushed. The Spider Queen laughed in relief. "As long as you're okay."

The two shared a kiss before Zyra buried her face back into her lover's neck. Elise put her lips to her soft hair and then looked up as something bright flashed in the sky from the direction of the Institute. "Hey, look."

The Rise of the Thorns turned so she could take in the view. "Fireworks?"

The Spider Queen nodded in reply and Zyra looked on in wonder. "They're so pretty."

They sat in silence as the colorful lights of fire continued to bloom. Elise shifted uncomfortably after a few minutes. "Zy?"

The plant mage, still mesmerized by the show, let out a quiet humming sound. The Spider Queen continued, "Can we stand up? My ass is freezing."

Zyra quickly did so. "Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

Chuckling, Elise just waved her off, brushing the snow from her clothing. A quick spell dried her soaked pants. She approached the Rise of the Thorns from behind and snaked her arms around her waist, allowing her lover to lean against her. The Spider Queen suddenly remembered what she had in her pocket and unwrapped one of her arms to take it out. Zyra was already looking curiously at the black box and spun around to face her. "What is it?"

"It's for you."

Elise carefully took the lid off, revealing a silver necklace. She held it up. Dangling off the end was a small silver spider, marked by the trademark red hourglass of the black widow. It was decorated with diamonds and rubies, and the jewels glinted in the low light. The Spider Queen put an arm to the back of her head awkwardly. "I know you aren't much for these kinds of things, but maybe this one won't get in the way too much and-"

She was interrupted as Zyra threw her arms around her and pulled her into a kiss that last several long moments. "It's perfect," the plant mage whispered as she drew back.

She held her hair up, allowing Elise to put the necklace around her neck. The Spider Queen was smiling, but the Rise of the Thorns fingered her present, looking a bit flustered. "I don't have anything for you," she confessed.

However, Elise just let out a short laugh and looked into her eyes. "Presents don't have to be something material, Zyra."

She ran a pale hand over her lover's cheek, feeling the smoothness of the skin there. It warmed as Zyra blushed in understanding. The couple leaned their faces close once more, lips almost touching. "I love you."

Elise wasn't quite sure who had said it. Perhaps they both had. The gap between them closed again. High above in the wintry sky, the firework show came to an end in a flurry of light. It left two words twinkling in the air, but the two lovers paid them no mind.

_Merry Snowdown._


End file.
